Influence of household factors on energy use in Vietnam based on path analysis

Abstract

Economic growth and corresponding energy demand have been rapidly increasing in developing countries where household determinants have a remarkable influence. This study draws on the impact of household accessible factors on energy use in Vietnam which remains a new case study with rare information on energy data in the residential area. Path analysis is applied to illustrate a complex structure of how household factors with different multi-unit impacts energy use on the same scale. The direct and indirect correlations between household factors and energy use can be clarified by graphical visualization of Tree Plot Path and Correlation Matrix. The results shed light on the “influence level” of direct and indirect factors, where household size, housing floor area, and the number of air conditioning significantly affect total energy consumption in the case study. The use of cooking utensils is significantly proportional to the occupancy of people at home while non-cooking electricity consumption derives from the number of air-conditioners. By adapting to different environmental and social characteristics, this concise and modifiable model syntax shows the levels of household impacts to offer appropriate scenarios for energy-saving policies in areas with hard-to-reach statistical data such as Vietnam and other developing countries in the region.